Holiday Magic!

The holidays will be here before you know it! 

I've been putting my holiday resources in order, and here are a few that will keep the kiddos engaged, along with some fun learning as well! (Just like magic!)

 

Here's one of my most popular collections: Science and Social Studies Printables for December!

This has all sorts of Science and Social Studies activities! It's got close reads on the aurora borealis and the North Pole, a mapping activity about the North Pole, classifying animals by habitats, science activities on holiday scents and the effect of marshmallows on hot chocolate, and even a civics activity on elf laws!

This resource is relatively new, but it's already a hit! 

Winter Holidays Informational Text AND Readers Theater

Your students will be having so much fun they'll forget they're practicing important reading skills! This resource includes informational text describing ten different winter holidays! Plus, it has a readers' theater script (7 pages) for ten children. It also has a song that can be used as a finale if they want to perform the play!

Here's a great way to start each day with the children thinking!

 

These Morning Meeting Greeting Questions can be displayed each morning for discussion or printed for written responses. Based on the calendar and unusual national holidays, every day has a totally different question! 

The kiddos won't even know they're having learning experiences; they'll be having so much fun!

Holiday No Prep Printables has loads of Math and Literacy activities that are perfect for those few days before the holidays when you're trying to keep them focused, but all they want to do is talk about the upcoming holidays! This collection will perform its holiday magic on the kiddos!

Drawing Holiday Conclusions is a favorite of my students! These task cards can be used as a center, as part of a Scoot game, or as skill practice in a reading group. This is always a hit!

Finally, one of my favorite freebies! This resource is totally magical! The children LOVE to listen to the music of the Nutcracker and visualize the storyline. Their pictures are delightful, and it's always a peaceful time while they listen and illustrate. (Sh... don't tell them they are practicing important reading skills like visualizing and sequencing a story!)

I hope these resources bring some magic to your holiday season!

What to do with Leftover Jellybeans?

Do you have leftover Jellybeans?  

If you don't, I'll bet you can get some real cheap!

My students and I have been having some fun observing jellybeans that have been soaking in different solutions.

We started by recording our predictions on what might happen.

Then we poured the solutions in and watched.

A day later, we recorded our observations.

The conversations between the groups were priceless! 

They were drawing conclusions and making logical comparisons. What an awesome group of scientists I have!

We have a couple of days before the final observation at the end of the week. It should be interesting to see their final conclusions!

This experiment is part of my Science Experiments and Social Studies Activities for April.

 

I have one of these for each month in an effort to squeeze in Science and Social Studies topics into my second grade. We have so much focus on literacy and math it's tough to squeeze in the subjects that the children love the most! These collections are my attempt to make the life of a primary teacher just a bit easier!

With these Science and Social Studies activities, I can find the time to do some fun stuff, without wasting much class time or prep time. 

Besides the jellybean experiment, there's another experiment on how to make an egg float, the lifecycle of a frog, a close read on Earth Day, and a mapping activity based on major league baseball teams. (The latter is a mini-version of Baseball Geography, which you can see more about HERE.)

You can save by purchasing bundles:

Spring Science and Social Studies Bundle 

A Whole Year of Science and Social Studies Bundle

December Freebies

It has come to my attention how many freebies I have for the month of December. 

Here are some of my favorites:

Hanukkah is super early this year. In fact, it's happening now! Be sure to download this Hanukkah Game Board. It can be used with skill that needs practicing: math facts, sight words, task cards. Just do a card, check, and roll your way around the game board.  

Holiday Fluency Sample is a fun way to practice reading phrases. With holiday words, of course!

This is my favorite holiday activity. It focuses on classic holiday music and the storyline that goes along with it. Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker includes suggestions on which music to play with each part of the storyline. It's a great exercise in visualization, and the kids absolutely love it! Yes, even the boys! How can you miss it when the setting is a place called The Kingdom of Sweets? (I've done this every year for at least 15 years!)

 

 

This is what my students are working on tomorrow: Acts of Kindness Countdown gives the kids a chance to count down the days until Christmas and enjoy the joy of giving at the same time.  Plus, everything they are giving is free!

The two resources below are NOT free, but are totally worth it!

I had to throw in my newest resources, although this one is not free. December Holidays True or False Boom Digital Task Cards This digital resource allows students to practice reading skills while learning about holidays around the world. Boom Learning digital task cards are easy to use, perfect for remote or distance learning, and fun for the students!

And here's one more new one, that's very popular with the children! Boom Learning December General Knowledge Trivia Questions and Enrichment

 

The December holidays are great fun for the students and an excuse for fun learning!